Rita Sahatçiu Ora (Albanian:[ˈɾitasahatˈtʃiuˈɔɾa];néeSahatçiu; born 26 November 1990) is a British singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. Born inPristina, modern-dayKosovo, she rose to prominence when she featured onDJ Fresh's 2012 single, "Hot Right Now", which peaked atop theUK singles chart. In 2008, she signed with American rapperJay-Z's labelRoc Nation and released her debut studio album,Ora (2012), which debuted atop theUK Albums Chart and spawned the UK number-one singles "R.I.P." and "How We Do (Party)".[2]
In 2014, Ora featured on Australian rapperIggy Azalea's single, "Black Widow", which peaked at number three on the USBillboard Hot 100. The following year, she was named anhonorary ambassador of Kosovo. After parting ways with Roc Nation, Ora signed withAtlantic Records to release her second studio album,Phoenix (2018). The album spawned the moderate hit singles "Your Song", "Anywhere" and "Let You Love Me"; the latter made Ora the first British female solo artist to have thirteen top-ten songs in the UK.[3] Her third studio album,You & I (2023), debuted at number six in the UK.
Rita Sahatçiu was born on 26 November 1990 inPristina,SFR Yugoslavia (modern-dayKosovo), toAlbanian parents.[1][4] Her mother, Vera (née Bajraktari), is apsychiatrist and her father, Besnik Sahatçiu, is apub owner; he studiedeconomics.[5] Ora's mother isCatholic and her father is anominal Muslim.[5] Ora has an older sister, Elena, and a younger brother, Don. Her maternal grandfather, Osman Bajraktari, was the Albanianconsul toRussia (then part of theSoviet Union).[6][7] Ora's paternal grandfather,Besim Sahatçiu, was a film and theatre director.[8][9] The surname Sahatçiu is derived fromsaatçi (Turkish for 'watchmaker'); her parents later added Ora (Albanian for 'time') to the family surname so it could be easily pronounced.[10][11]
Ora's first acting role at 13 in an episode of the British drama series,The Brief, was her first acting role. Next. she appeared in the British film,Spivs (2004). She also began performing at open mic sessions around London and, occasionally, in her father's pub.[8] In 2008, she auditioned forEurovision: Your Country Needs You onBBC One to be theBritish contestant for theEurovision Song Contest 2009 and qualified, but later withdrew from the competition after a few episodes as she "did not feel ready" and thought "that challenge wasn't for her."[17][18] Her manager, Sarah Stennett (who also worked withEllie Goulding,Jessie J andConor Maynard), later toldHitQuarters that she reassured Ora that performing in Eurovision would hinder, rather than help her chances to make it as a solo artist.[19]
Shortly after, Ora's management got in touch with the American label,Roc Nation, and told them about her. Ora signed a recording deal and apublishing deal with Roc Nation in December 2008, and was one of their first signees.[19][20][21] She made a cameo appearance inJay Z's video for "Young Forever" (2009).[22] After being signed, Ora recorded an album and wanted to release it, but her label advised against it and she started to work on other material for her debut album.[8]
Throughout 2011, Ora released covers and videos about working on her debut album on YouTube.[23] The videos caught the attention ofDJ Fresh, who at that time was looking for a female vocalist for his song, "Hot Right Now".[24] She was featured on the single that was released on 12 February 2012, debuting at number one on theUK Singles Chart.[25] During February 2012, Ora was also the opening act at UK concerts onDrake'sClub Paradise Tour. The first UK single from her debut album, "R.I.P." (featuringTinie Tempah), was released on 6 May 2012.[26] Produced byChase & Status, the song debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming her first solo UK number one.[27] On 12 August, "How We Do (Party)" was released as a single, and it reached number one in the UK and Ireland. It was Ora's second UK number one as a solo artist, and third overall in 2012.[28]
Whilst supportingColdplay on theirMylo Xyloto Tour, she later announced that her debut album would be titledOra.[29] The album was released on 27 August 2012 in Europe and Oceania, and debuted at the top of theUK Albums Chart.[2] Ora was nominated for Best New Artist, Push Artist and Best UK/Ireland Act at the2012 MTV Europe Music Awards.[30] In September 2012, it was announced that Ora would be the opening act on the UK concerts fromUsher'sEuphoria Tour set to start in January 2013. However, the tour was postponed due to Usher's "professional and personal commitments".[31] "Shine Ya Light", released on 4 November, became Ora's fourth consecutiveUK top ten single in 2012, peaking at number ten.[32][33] On 28 November 2012, Ora performed as a special guest at the concert held inTirana,Albania, for the100th Anniversary of the Independence of Albania.[34]
In January 2013, Ora embarked on her first UK tour,Radioactive Tour, to support her debut album. She was nominated for three awards at the2013 Brit Awards, including theBrit Award for British Breakthrough Act.[35] Also in January 2013, Ora revealed that her second album would be clearer and have more direction than the first one.[36] On 26 February 2013, she revealed toDigital Spy that her second album shows a different angle to a "party girl".[37][38] On 24 May 2013, Ora was the headline act on the In New Music We Trust stage atBBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.[39] On 28 June 2013, she performed on the Pyramid Stage atGlastonbury.[40]
In 2014, she had two top-five UK singles; the song "I Will Never Let You Down" which debuted at number one, and she featured onIggy Azalea's "Black Widow" which peaked at number four in the UK, and the latter became Ora's first top ten song on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number three.[41][42][43] The song was initially written as a last-minute addition toKaty Perry's fourth studio album,Prism (2013), but the composition finalized only after the album's release.[44] The music video for the song was directed byDirector X and inspired byQuentin Tarantino's epic martial arts filmsKill Bill andKill Bill 2.[45] ActorsMichael Madsen,Paul Sorvino, and rapperT.I. also appear in the video.[46] It remains Ora's highest debut on Billboard Top 100 and the most viewed music video of hers with over 690 million views.[47] On 14 December 2014, Ora performed at the 2014 telecast ofChristmas in Washington, filmed at theNational Building Museum.[48] In February 2015, Ora featured onCharli XCX song, "Doing It", which debuted at number eight in the UK. In April 2014, Ora appeared alongside Korean popstar,Hyuna, in an episode ofFunny or Die called "Girl, You Better Walk".[49]
In 2015, she played Christian Grey's sister, Mia, in thefilm adaptation of the best-selling novelFifty Shades of Grey, a role she later reprised in the film's two sequels.[50][51][52] Ora originally approached the production hoping to contribute to the film's soundtrack and instead was asked to audition for the role of Mia Grey by the director of the film,Sam Taylor-Johnson.[53][54] On 22 February 2015, at the87th Academy Awards, she performed the song "Grateful", which appears inGina Prince-Bythewood's film,Beyond the Lights (2014).[55][56] In December 2015, Ora filed a lawsuit against Roc Nation, seeking release from the label and citing that the contract she signed in 2008 is "unenforceable", due to California's "seven-year rule". The complaint stated that she's "only been permitted to release one album despite creating multiple additional records for release" and that her relationship with Roc Nation is "irrevocably damaged".[57][58][59] In 2015, she was a coach on thefourth series ofThe Voice UK onBBC One, replacingKylie Minogue.[60] The same year, it was confirmed that Ora andBBC Radio 1 presenter,Nick Grimshaw, signed as judges for thetwelfth series ofThe X Factor on the rival TV network,ITV, after a bidding war betweenThe X Factor andThe Voice UK.[61] She hosted theBBC Radio 1's Teen Awards, alongside Grimshaw, several times (from 2013 to 2017).[62][63]
In January 2016, Roc Nation filed a counter-lawsuit against Ora for breaking her recording contract, in New York. They reached a settlement in May 2016.[64] In June 2016, it was reported that she signed a new record deal withAtlantic Records.[65] In July 2016,Tyra Banks, the creator ofAmerica's Next Top Model, announced that Ora would replace her as host of the revamped show which aired onVH1.[66] On 3 September 2016, she performed in a concert at theBasilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, in Rome, at thevigil forMother Teresa'scanonisation, alongside other Albanian artists, accompanied by the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra.[67][68]
On 26 May 2017, Ora released her first solo single in almost two years, titled "Your Song", which peaked at number seven in the UK.[69][70] The song served as the lead single from Ora's second studio album, after previous attempts at her second record were lost in her lawsuit against her former label, Roc Nation. The second single, "Anywhere", became her eleventh top ten song in the UK, peaking at number two.[70] Ora hosted the2017 MTV Europe Music Awards on 12 November in London, atWembley Arena.[71][72]
In January 2018, Ora released the song "For You" (withLiam Payne), from the soundtrack of the filmFifty Shades Freed.[73] On 18 September 2018, Ora revealed the title of her second studio album,Phoenix, and its release date, 23 November. On 21 September, she released the album's fourth single, "Let You Love Me".[74] The song reached number four in the UK, marking Ora's 13th top-ten song, thus breaking a 30-year-old record for most top ten songs by a British female solo artist (previously jointly held byShirley Bassey andPetula Clark).[75][3]
From 1 March to April 2019, she went on thePhoenix World Tour in Europe, Asia and Oceania.[76] In April 2019, Ora released the song "Carry On" with Norwegian producerKygo, as a standalone single forPokémon: Detective Pikachu, a film in which she also briefly appears.[77][78] On 31 May, she released the song "Ritual", withTiësto andJonas Blue. In September 2019, Ora confirmed toMarie Claire that she had begun working on her third studio album.[79] She provided further details regarding the music withNME, stating that "people have been coming to studio sessions from all over the world. I've been working on this now for the past two years, on and off. I have plans for this third album to be something I've never done before."[80]
Ora hosted the2022 MTV Europe Music Awards, with Taika Waititi, on 13 November inDüsseldorf, Germany.[88][89] In February 2022, she was announced to act in theDisney+ prequel–an eight-episodelimited series–to the 2017 film,Beauty and The Beast, in a role described as a "fugitive with surprising abilities who carries with her a secret that could potentially affect an entire kingdom", but the project has been put on hold indefinitely.[90][91][92]
On 27 January 2023, she released the song, "You Only Love Me", as the lead single from her third studio album,You & I.[93] On 19 April 2023, she released the song, "Praising You", in collaboration withFatboy Slim, and announced that the album would be released on 14 July.[94][95]You & I debuted at number six in the United Kingdom. In September 2023,Fox announced that Ora would join theAmerican version ofThe Masked Singer as a judge.[96]
On 11 October, Australian singerKylie Minogue announced Ora would be the supporting act to her U.S leg of theTension Tour alongsideRomy.[97]
Other activities
Design
In January 2014,Adidas announced a multi-year designer collaboration with Ora for their brand of casual sports clothing,Adidas Originals.[98][99] Ora designed her own apparel collections for the brand, including footwear and accessories.[100][101] In 2016, she collaborated with Italian fashion brand,Tezenis, on acapsule lingerie collection.[102][103] In 2018, Ora co-designed a shoe collection with the Italian footwear designer,Giuseppe Zanotti.[104][105][106] After appearing as the face ofEscada, Ora co-designed a capsule collection with the brand in 2019.[107] In September 2023, the Dublin-based retailer,Primark, announced a multi-season fashion collaboration with Ora.[108][109] The first collection, co-designed by Ora, consisted of 169 pieces across knitwear, denim, tailoring and outerwear, along with shoes and accessories.[110][111]
Endorsements
In 2010, Ora featured in a commercial forSkullcandy headphones.[112] In 2011, she appeared inCalvin Klein's CK One campaign.[113][114] In 2013, she was the face of Italian sneaker brand,Superga, and the face ofMaterial Girl, a clothing line designed byMadonna.[115][116] In September 2013, cosmetics brand,Rimmel, announced their collaboration with Ora for makeup collections.[117][118] She was the face of twoDonna Karan 2014 collections, Resort collection, and Autumn/Winter collection.[119][120][121] She was also the face of the label's fragrance,DKNY My NY, inspired by New York City.[122] In March 2014, Ora was one of the cast members ofMarks & Spencer's "Leading Ladies" campaign.[123][124] Later in 2014, she appeared as the face ofRoberto Cavalli Autumn/Winter campaign.[125][126] In 2015, she appeared inCoca-Cola andSamsung Galaxy S6 advertising campaigns.[127][128] In 2019, she was the face of several German brands; luxury fashion label,Escada, jewellery company,Thomas Sabo, and footwear retailer,Deichmann.[129][130][131][132] Ora appeared in "London After Hours" campaign forPepe Jeans in 2023.[133]
Ora dated Scottish DJCalvin Harris from 2013 until June 2014.[146] In 2016, Ora and American musicianAndrew Watt started dating. They were together for two years until September 2018; they got back together in January 2019, but broke up again in October 2019.[147] Since 2021, she has been in a relationship with New Zealand filmmakerTaika Waititi.[148] They married in August 2022[149][150][151] and live in Los Angeles.[152]
In November 2020, Ora broke theCOVID-19 restrictions by having her birthday party at aWest London restaurant during a period of national lockdown.[153][154] Ora had recently returned fromEgypt and was supposed to be isolating for 14 days, upon her return to London, as a result. According to the police, her security offered to pay the venue £5,000 to break guidelines and asked forCCTV cameras to be switched off.[155] The restaurant's representative denied that such payment was made.[156] Ora apologised for the breach and was fined £10,000.[157]
^abJeffries, David."Rita Ora".AllMusic.Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved29 May 2017.Born in Pristina, Kosovo but raised in London, pop star Rita Ora
^abcTaro Greenfeld, Karl. "Rita Ora Interview – July 2015 Cover Story".Marie Claire (July 2015 issue).And that was enough, apparently, to lure their Muslim father, Besnik (Vera is Catholic). The two fled conflict–torn Kosovo in 1991, when Ora was a year old, and settled in London. Her father, who had studied economics, opened his pub–he's not a devout Muslim–and her mother became a psychiatrist.
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